On the Road

Well, my vacation time is over and I have accomplished quite a bit.  I updated some previous posts but now I have seats, seat belts, wipers, title and license and have taken it on the road a few times for further testing.  I'm not happy with the transaxle.  But not having driven a VW before I really can't say if what I'm hearing is normal or not. It's loud, leaks at the axles and still slips out of third.  That will be a future tasking.

About the wipers, I continually had problems with the wiring until I finally pulled the motor from underneath the dash to see what I was dealing with.  Sorry, no picts, but someone really fracked this thing up when they wired it.  Basically all I could salvage was to hook it up to the switch and get on/off/one speed/no parking.  At least it's the fast speed.  Another thing I noticed on Bradley GT.com was some folks only use one wiper on their car.  This makes sense, the passenger gets a nice pretty view of two wipers. 

The wiring is still somewhat SNAFU.  It's due to the fact I'm using all LEDs.  No two LED functions can be on at the same time. For instance, parking lights and turn signals.  I've looked at a lot of articles and maybe it's a resistor problem.  I ordered some and they should be here soon.

As always...more to come....

Shifter Install Part III

Decided to tackle the removal of the shift rod before it got hot.  Yes, it does get hot - 90.  Anyone from AZ and Nevada complaining yet?

You can see my previous post, removing the transaxle, to get an idea of what it takes to remove the shift rod coupler in the back.  It went smoother this time because I had done it before and was ready to go with my magnetic telescoping picker-upper.  Trust me you will drop something in the tunnel, a wrench, a bolt, etc.  This time I had one of those Geeky hat lights - I'm sold on that!

As previously mentioned, I had to remove the front battery pack, box and frame.  Needless to say I disconnected the power with the two quick disconnects on the console thereby reducing my risk from 156V to 72V.  I always put down a rubber mat on the batteries I'm next to so there won't be any accidents.

Here comes the fun.  Accessing the tunnel.  Mine only had two 10mm bolts in front.  A ratchet wrench with an extension is the way to go.

Once the panel is off then it's a matter of getting your fingers into the shifter hole and inching the rod out.  Actually it came out easy but OMG was it ugly!  Talk about 30+ years of dirt, grease and grime.

I used some PB Blaster to penetrate the the crud on the rod and wipe it clean.  There were only a few spots that had to be wire brushed.

Nice and clean.  You can see the retaining ring on the rod.  I wasn't able to get the old bushing pieces out.  Oh well.

The good news I found a parts store about an hour away this will be faster than waiting 7 days for an internet order.

The shifter bushing goes in first!   That means it fits into the support bracket just past the shifter hole in side the tunnel.  This is before you insert the shift rod into the tunnel. Careful, you don't want to drop this bushing in the tunnel.  The bushing simply pops into place.  The ring clamp end is on the shifter side of the brace. One source on the internet said to place the gap toward the driver's side then lube the inside real well with lots of fresh grease.  I noticed that my rod had gathered some dirt on it so I wiped it clean then put on new grease.  This will be a tight fit.  I can see where a second set of hands would be very helpful but I was able to use a wire coat hanger to lift up the rod from the bottom of the tunnel and then line it up in the bushing.  I then carefully got out of the car and went to the front lifted the rod and gave it a steady pressure until it went through the bushing.  From this point I used some needle nose pliers to grip the rod in the tunnel and pull it back toward the transaxle.

Putting the coupler back in is always a pain in the @##!  The worse part is I bought a new coupler by EMPI (#@$% You EMPI!!!!) and once again I got screwed.  The gap where the shift rod goes into the coupler isn't wide enough.  So I used the original coupler with the new urethane bushings.  I think next time I'll get smart and figure out a different, easier way to connect the rod to the coupler - the lag bolt and weird cover sleeve is a pain.

I just tested the shifter.  WOW!!! Huge difference, I'm 99% sure of hitting reverse every time without an ouchie!

Mission accomplished.

Rear Window Hinges

One of the  ugly eye sores for this car is the carriage bolts used on the rear window hinges.  They rust - big time!  I replaced with stainless steel bolts and stop nuts.  This wasn't as easy as one might think.

The pict makes the bolt look better than it was.  It was dark brown.  I had to cut a channel in the top with a all purpose metal blade with my grinder.  I then used "the Claw" mother of all flat head screw drivers and a 1/2 inch ratchet. 

The end result is cleaner and easier to take off than those @#$%^ carriage bolts!

Naturally you'll want to replace those bolts that are  holding the window to the fiberglass frame.  That's right, they're rusted as well.  Even though these had a phillips head they weren't going to budge without a fight.  PB Blaster to the rescue!  The previous owner was smart and added a 2X6 inch metal plate to give extra support to the fiberglass on both sides.  I had to wire brush and paint those from the excessive rust.  And let's not forget to seal under those hinges with silicone. : )

Shifter Install Part II

Bummer!  It looks like the shifter bushing is bad.  This really sucks beacause you have to take out the entire shift rod, through the front of the car to replace it.  That means disconnecting the rod from the transaxle in the back and taking out the front batteries and battery box.

From looking at the $2 replacement part, it should go all the way around the shift rod.  It appears the retaining ring is still holding onto a piece of it.  I'm guessing there's a piece or two in the bottom of the tunnel.

As I have said before, nothing is easy on this car.

Wiring Fun Con't

I have been fighting this hazard light/turn signal dilemma for quite some time now.  WHY WON'T IT WORK??!!!  (Emphasis is intentional)

I have come to the conclusion that the steering column wiring is the culprit.  Why else would both turn signal indicators come on at the same time?  Why would the hazards work when one side is attached but not both?  It appears that voltage is leaking from one side to the other.  A quick check with the voltmeter proved this to be the case.   

Here's what's inside.....

I'm not handy enough to try and repair it and after a quick look on the internet for a replacement, it would also appear that it's not the 1967 steering column that came with the original chassis.  I'm posting the pict so the parts store can look at it and verify what the right replacement is.

Cip1, after  I sent a couple picts told me what the correct part was I needed to order.  Here's a pict of it going in.

Easy to install.  More wires that what I had before but most important it did fix the leaking voltage problem.

Apparently my steering column is from the 70's.

More Seat Belt Stuff

I ended up taking a full thread 2.5 inch bolt and cutting off the end.  Then I grinded the end so I could screw a nut on both ends.  This helped to extend the length of the bolt.  Then a jam nut helps keep it secure.

Here's where the third point or buckle went.

I used a large fender washer and stop nut on the bottom.

OK, BIG CONFESSION, I usually say EMPI Sucks!  These seat bealts are EMPI and they work just fine.  So EMPI doesn't suck all the time, just most of the time.

More Seat Fun

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I installed carpet and realized that the seats had to come forward and therefore needed to fit in a 16 inch width.  The seats are 17 inches wide.  That's a problem.

On Bradley.com several folks have used other seats from different cars.  Camaro, 240SX, Saturn, Miata and Fiero.  These seats (both new and used) can be expensive and unless you personally measure them, they might not be the 16 inches you need. The other factor to consider is the Bradley seat is meant to lay back, these seats will lay back but weren't designed to be that way.

Problem solved - cut the seat.

Notice I cut on the lip side.  As you can see there is still plenty of foam padding and I have a skinny little butt anyway.  The seat lip sits directly on the Bradley fiberglass body.  The console side will have to sit on a bracket of some sort.  I tested this with a couple 2X4s under the console side and it really fits in nicely and I didn't notice any discomfort from where I had cut.

Here's what works.  Two 5 inch L brackets, like I had done in an earlier post, but then add a 1 inch bar across them to insure they don't move.

This makes a much more stable frame.

Because I'm usually working by myself I had to get creative in my problem solving.  How to mark where the holes should be drilled through the pans?  A pen won't fit and most are dark inks.  I used a small bolt dipped in red paint.  The arm rest lip sits on the Bradley body.  I left that side unsecured since it feels pretty snug.

Final result.

I had taken the seat covers and washed them at a local laundromat since the Mrs wouldn't let them anywhere near our machines.  : )  As far as colors go, the black and red is good for now but I'd like something different in the future.  I still need to add about an extra inch or two of foam in my seat, more support for my lower back.
The best part is my wife sat in her seat and loved it.  It's comfortable and she has head room.  Oh yes, progress is a good thing. : )

Shifter Install

Why a new shifter?  I really don't like the agony of reverse.  Reverse is not only painful but it's also difficult to find.  Push the shifter down, jam it to the left then ram it to the rear into my thigh. Ouch!!!

After doing some research, everyone talks about the Berg shifter as the cadillac of shifters.  Yes, it's very expensive.  Some say it's worth the money.  I also saw a few folks that said they liked the Bugspak.  And of course there is the el cheapo EMPI.  Everything I read on the EMPI is that it is to be avoided at all costs.  So, back to the Bugspak.  It reduces the shifting pattern by 40% and is in two styles - angled and straight.  I bought the angled.

That would be the old shifter above.

Just in case you wanted to know what it looks like when it's removed - there it is.

The new plate is on the left.  As you can see the old is worn.  When you install the new, remember to put the "ramp to the right."  This makes sense when you actually are doing it.

Add some grease to the bottom, put that sucker in there, find reverse, tap the plate slightly forward, then tighten.  Really, it's that simple.

Let me say, I LOVE this shifter.  It really is a lot easier to use, except for reverse.  Now granted, reverse wasn't easy to find to begin with but at least now it's not painful.

Headlights (Actuator)

The headlights need to go up and down.  It is said that the old motor is not worth bothering with - toss it out, don't even go there.  I took the advice and purchased an actuator.  This one has about a 4 inch length when extended and can pull/push over 100lbs.  I found mine on EBay for cheap.  That's 50% off what some internet businesses wanted.

The old motor is on the left and the actuator (fully extended) is on the right.

Mounting the thing was a small challenge.  I used the original bracket but chopped off one the small mounting sides and added a bracket on the back to stabilize a push/pull action.  I mounted on the right wall with two bolts instead of on the defroster compartment.  This makes it easy to get to and easy to bolt down.  I had to drill the original brace hole and use a beefier bolt since there was a larger gap than before.

Wiring is next.  You need it to open and close on demand which means it has to reverse current.  On the Bradley GT site is a way to wire two relays to make that happen. This is what I used.

 Here's the double relay mounted just above the central control panel under the dash.

Yee Haw!! It works!  Now don't get to thinking that they are the fastest headlights in the West. Nope, them is slow ...but a sexy kind of slow. : )

Maybe someday I use an actuator to raise the back window.  Just a thought.